2. Background
The Jewish people currently dwelling in Tach Gayint district had a long history. The
entry point of this community was through Gondar. In Gondar, they had been serving
the land lords by providing the agricultural equipments. They have had no their own
farmland and only allowed them to have lands up on which they built their own houses
during the reign of Dergue regime.
These communities reside in all peasant associations of Tach Gayint district. Namely
Efrata, Metegni, Segoda, Bethelhem, Shiha, Dembeta, Adisge, Muhada, Wojit, Gordadit, Anfeka,
Daka, Ansata, Adensa, Fanta (Diyo), Kegna, Agat, Enjeti (Segoda), Aketo, Dajat, Maga, Diyo
Betach, Benat, Endewa Mariam, Aduka, Mayiderfa Mariam, Gerariya Mariam and Yeshinfo
Mariam. In Tach Gayint, the official name given to Jewish people is known as “Bethe
Israel.” According to the community leaders, they were and are suffering a lot only
because they are not originally from the community in which they are living.
There is no trade transaction between the Jewish community and the other social group
in the area. They are socially, culturally and politically inferior to other sub groups in
the district. Obviously, the basic human rights are not respected for these people as they
are always being violated by the non-Jewish communities. According to them, there is
no legal institution which gives impartial judgment without being biased towards one
group.
Religion
Like any other nations of the world, these people have their own religion to which they
are spiritually devoted and followed them. The religions which Jewish people live in
Tach Gayint follow are only two. These are orthodox Christian and protestant Christian.
The former is the dominant religion which followed by more 99% of Jewish community
while the latter is followed by less than 1% of the community.
Socio-economic Condition
The lives and livelihood of this community rely on non-farming activity. It is hand
crafty which Jewish people used as basis for their survival. They make such agricultural
equipments as hoe, digging stick, knife, sword, blade, hammer and the like. They also
engaged in other income generating activity like daily laborer.
3. Language
Language is the identity of every society by which they interact with each other.
Accordingly, Amharic is a language spoken among the community.
Demographic features
The numbers of Jewish people living in Tach Gayint district is significantly increasing
from time to time. According to census conducted in 2010, the total population of this
community was 4600. Presently, about 6000 and more Jewish people reside in all
corners of the district.
Marriage
The marriage system of Jewish people is different from other ethnic group in the area.
According to them, the marriage outside of their social group which we call it exogamy
is not allowed because none of other ethnic group marries to either Jewish man or
woman. As a result of this, the Jewish people forced to marry to whom he or she has got
a blood relationship. This kind of marriage system is strictly forbidden among the
community they live since it is incest taboo. In general, they are bounded to marry their
own close relatives since other ethnic group does never marry to them. Not often,
abnormal children born when the two couples whose families are closely tied in blood
relationship married to each other.
Social status
According to participants of FGD, there is no socially recognized position which is
given to this marginalized and neglected community. During this study, an old man
named Gelanew Biyahgelign said that “we did not get the opportunity yet even if it
deserved us because of our educational status and a God given talent and wisdom.” He
added that there was one Jewish teacher who was employed at certain elementary
school. Accidentally, one of his students got sick while attending the class. The
dominant ethnic group immediately started beating the Jewish teacher. In addition to
this, they threw unnecessary word “Buda” which means eyes which eat man; dismissed
him from school staff and also expelled him from the village. Not surprisingly, there is
no Jewish person who works in any government organizations if it is searched for. This
vividly indicates, as to them, how much this social group is hated, marginalized as well
as persecuted by this powerful group.
4. Resource Ownership
For every society resource possession should be guaranteed as it govern livelihood of
the members of the society. The decisive factor of production like land is not provided
for this community (the Jewish). Unlike other group, they do not have farmland up on
which they cultivate and produce crops for their subsistence. They, however, can buy a
piece of land to build residential house if and only if they have the capacity to purchase
it.
Current Situation
It has been a long time ago since the Jewish started experiencing the hardship of hate
and segregation from all social affairs. The daily persecution and maltreatments of all
social groups toward this community (i.e. children, youngsters, women and elders) are
not new phenomena for them. They are being insulted, beaten, killed and being
confiscated their own resources by non-Jewish community.
The difficult situations they had passed through over the last decades could not have
compared with the present conditions. That means, the extent to which this community
is suffering increasing from moment to moment. But they are not still intervened by the
government though they need urgent response from stakeholders. Frankly, they have
no anyone who advocate and express their inner thought in order to let their basic
human rights respected and defended by the constitution of the country.
The write attempted to figure out the major challenges this community are currently
encountering in their day to day interaction with the out group and the difficulty male
and female students face around the school compound.
Challenges in School
According to Jewish people living in the district, a Jewish student does not be allowed
to sit together with non-Jewish student in the class room particularly in primary and
secondary school. This negative held perception and attitude of Tach Gayint
community towards Jewish people is not a recent phenomenon. But rather, it had long
history as it had been manifested in different inhuman actions. Surprisingly, students
from Jewish ethnic group do not incorporate universities found in the region in their
choice because they fear that students from the region do not let them learn freely and
democratically carry on their education.
5. Misganew Kana
isganew Kana is an engineering student at Adama University and belongs to
Jewish. Misgana said that I would never forget what one of my classmates
said to me while I was in high school. That was one shameful question:
“How many persons did your father eat?” But he did respond nothing to that particular
student rather passed it over by grace of God since he is a believer. According to him,
Jewish students do not like to choose and be assigned to universities found in the region
since students from the region do not let them pursue their education. He added that I
had no friend until I completed my secondary school and joined university. These were
what he and his fellow Jewish students had been experiencing in the past and still in the
present.
Challenges in Legal service
According to elders of this community, they do not get equal legal services from the
local institutions (i.e. PA administration office, district Justice Office, etc.). Whenever
they quarreled over scarce resource (land, water and forest) with other social group
with whom they live, they present their cases to the court but never had fair and just
judgment from the court. There is no way appeal to high court and revise their case for
just decision.
M
